Professional registration checks: which registers to check and when
Where the law says only a registered person can do a job or use a title, the regulator's public register is the most direct evidence that a candidate can do the work. A certificate shows what was true when it was issued. The register shows the person's status on the day you search, including, for some registers, restrictions or suspensions.
The duty to check depends on the sector. Schools, colleges and supply agencies in England must check a teacher's record before the person starts. CQC-registered providers in England must employ only people registered with the relevant professional body where the law requires it, and CQC expects a process to check current registration. The FCA says firms should check the Financial Services Register for anyone carrying out regulated activities for them. For other professions, practising or using a protected title while unregistered can be an offence for the individual, which makes a check sensible even where no rule obliges you to make it.
Professional body membership is different. The ICO says asking about exclusion or discipline by a membership body may be proportionate where it is relevant to the role, for example for solicitors and accountants.
Required, expected or optional
Three different things get called a registration check. Some laws stop an unregistered person doing the work: in the UK, a person who is not a registered dentist or registered dental care professional must not practise dentistry, and in England and Wales no unqualified person may act as a solicitor. Other laws protect a title: it is an offence for a person, with intent to deceive, to falsely represent that they are on the NMC or HCPC register, and the Medical Act 1983 makes it an offence to wilfully and falsely pretend to be a registered doctor. Falsely representing that you are on the GPhC register is an offence in Great Britain (Pharmacy Order 2010, article 38), and so is falsely representing, with intent to deceive, that you are a registered social worker in England (Social Workers Regulations 2018, regulation 31).
Separately, some sector rules put a duty on the employer. In England, regulation 19(4) of the 2014 Regulated Activities Regulations requires people employed in CQC-registered services to be registered where the work or the title requires it, and schools must check a teacher's record. The FCA expects firms to check the Financial Services Register.
Everything else is optional and needs a reason connected to the job.
The registers we checked
We read each regulator's official register page on 28 October 2026. Use the regulator's own site, not a copy.
The GMC, GPhC and Social Work England rows are taken from the law that sets up each register. Search the regulator's own online register for the person you are checking.
| Register | What it shows | Where it applies |
|---|---|---|
| NMC register | Who can practise as a nurse or midwife, or as a nursing associate; restrictions on practice or caution orders; people suspended or removed since 1 January 2008 | Nurses and midwives across the UK; nursing associates in England |
| HCPC Register | Health and care professionals in 15 professions, including paramedics, physiotherapists and practitioner psychologists, who meet its standards | UK |
| GMC medical register | Registered medical practitioners, with their names and the qualifications they are entitled to have registered (Medical Act 1983, section 2) | UK |
| GPhC register | Pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and registered pharmacy premises, kept in three parts (Pharmacy Order 2010, article 19) | Great Britain |
| Social Work England register | Each registered social worker's name, reference number, any conditions on registration, date of registration and social work qualification, plus fitness to practise details (Social Workers Regulations 2018, regulation 9) | England |
| GDC registers | Status, registration number, registrant type, date first registered, the date the current registration period started and qualifications; updated daily | Dentists and dental care professionals across the UK |
| Check a teacher's record | QTS, QTLS or EYTS status, induction, national professional qualifications, prohibition by the Teaching Regulation Agency, GTCE sanctions and serious misconduct findings without prohibition | England |
| SRA Solicitors Register | Whether someone is a solicitor and where they work, firms the SRA has closed down and people prohibited from practising | England and Wales |
| FCA Financial Services Register | Firms and individuals that are or were authorised by the FCA or PRA, and certified and assessed persons with their roles | UK |
Health and care professionals
Our health and social care page covers what CQC expects in England. Two practical points add to it. The NMC says a nurse, midwife or nursing associate should tell you their PIN when asked, and searching by PIN avoids confusing people with the same name. Employers can use its Employer confirmations service to search up to 10 PINs at once, with a login requested from the NMC.
For doctors, the Medical Act 1983 requires the General Medical Council's registrar to keep a register of medical practitioners, containing their names and the qualifications they are entitled to have registered.
If a person in a CQC-registered service no longer meets the regulation 19(1) criteria (good character, the necessary qualifications, competence, skills and experience, and fitness by reason of health), the provider must take necessary and proportionate action and, for a registered health or social care professional, inform their regulator. Separately, regulation 19(4) requires staff to be registered where the law requires it, and CQC expects providers to have a process to check that registration is current.
Teachers in England
The Department for Education says you must check a teacher's record before they start working for you in England as part of your safeguarding checks. You can check the record of anyone with a teacher reference number, including teaching assistants. Schools using a supply agency must get confirmation from the agency that it has completed the checks. You need the teacher's last name and date of birth and a DfE Sign-in account, and KCSIE says the service is free.
Under KCSIE 2026, all schools must make sure a person employed to carry out teaching work is not subject to a prohibition order, and colleges must take reasonable steps to find out. The record does not tell you whether someone is barred from working with children or subject to a section 128 direction, which are separate checks.
Solicitors and financial services
In England and Wales, a person is qualified to act as a solicitor only if they have been admitted, are on the roll and hold a practising certificate. The SRA describes its register as the definitive source on the firms and people it regulates. It warns that no result means it has no record of that person, so it is not safe to assume they are regulated.
The FCA says you should check the details of any individual carrying out regulated activities on your behalf, especially current roles and any disciplinary or regulatory action on their record. Its directory of certified and assessed persons covers certified staff, directors who do not hold a senior manager function, and some appointed representatives. It shows names and previous names, roles with start and end dates and activities, plus professional body memberships for customer-facing roles that need a qualification. Our financial services page covers fitness and propriety and regulatory references.
The FCA says the Senior Managers and Certification Regime is undergoing reform, so check its pages for any change to who appears in the directory.
Running the check and keeping a record
Tell candidates early which registers you will check and why. Search the official register yourself, close to the start date, and note the date, the register, the registration number and what it showed. Our view is that a screenshot or printout showing the search date is a practical record, alongside any sector record-keeping rules that apply.
If a candidate has been excluded by a professional membership body, the ICO says you can assess this case by case, referring to professional codes of conduct where relevant. Keep the outcome and your reasons, and do not keep vetting information longer than necessary.
HRjoy can help you map which roles need a register check and how often to repeat it. We do not run checks ourselves, but we can introduce you to our screening partners.
What to tell the candidate
- Tell candidates at the start which professional registers you will check and why.
- Ask for the registration number or PIN, and search the official register yourself.
- If a register shows a restriction or a mismatch, give the candidate a chance to explain before you decide.
- Ask about professional body membership or discipline only where it is relevant to the role.
Sources
- Search the register · Nursing and Midwifery Council
- Employer confirmations · Nursing and Midwifery Council
- Check the Register · Health and Care Professions Council
- The registers · General Dental Council
- Search the Registers · General Dental Council
- Solicitors Register · Solicitors Regulation Authority
- Financial Services Register · FCA
- Directory of certified and assessed persons · FCA
- Check a teacher's record · GOV.UK (Department for Education)
- Keeping children safe in education 2026 · GOV.UK (Department for Education)
- Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014, regulation 19 · legislation.gov.uk
- Regulation 19: Fit and proper persons employed · Care Quality Commission
- Pre-employment vetting of candidates · ICO
- Dentists Act 1984, section 38 · legislation.gov.uk
- Solicitors Act 1974, section 1 · legislation.gov.uk
- Solicitors Act 1974, section 20 · legislation.gov.uk
- Nursing and Midwifery Order 2001, article 44 · legislation.gov.uk
- Health Professions Order 2001, article 39 · legislation.gov.uk
- Medical Act 1983, section 2 · legislation.gov.uk
- Medical Act 1983, section 49 · legislation.gov.uk
- Pharmacy Order 2010, article 19 · legislation.gov.uk
- Pharmacy Order 2010, article 38 · legislation.gov.uk
- Children and Social Work Act 2017, section 39 · legislation.gov.uk
- Social Workers Regulations 2018, regulation 9 · legislation.gov.uk
- Social Workers Regulations 2018, regulation 31 · legislation.gov.uk
General information for employers in the UK, not legal advice. HRjoy advises on screening policy and fair process. We do not run checks ourselves; where you need checks run, we can introduce you to our screening partners. Check the official sources for your situation.
When it’s justified
Usually justified
- Teachers joining a school, college or teacher supply agency in England: Check a teacher's record before they start
- Roles in CQC-registered services in England where the work or the title requires registration, such as nurses and HCPC professions: current registration (regulation 19(4))
- Dentists and dental care professionals anywhere in the UK: the GDC register
- Solicitors in England and Wales: the SRA's Solicitors Register
- People carrying out regulated activities for an FCA-regulated firm: the Financial Services Register
Only if the role justifies it
- Membership of a professional body, or any exclusion or disciplinary action by it, where this is relevant to the role
- Re-checking registration during employment where registration is a condition of the job
Rarely or never justified
- Asking about membership of professional bodies the role does not need
- Using a register search in place of a criminal record check: the ICO says information about convictions should come through DBS, AccessNI or Disclosure Scotland
Questions
Something else? Ask us.
Is a registration certificate enough, or should I search the register?
Search the register. A certificate shows the position when it was issued, while the register shows current status. The NMC's search results are accurate to the day you search, and the GDC says its registers are updated daily. Ask the candidate for their registration number or PIN so you find the right person.
Does a teacher's record show whether someone is barred from working with children?
No. The Department for Education says the record will not tell you whether someone is barred from working with children or allowed to manage or govern schools. Regulated employers check the children's barred list through a separate service, and independent schools check for section 128 directions for management roles. KCSIE 2026 says schools and colleges can also use Check a teacher's record to make children's barred list checks, so follow the current DfE instructions for your setting.
Can I ask whether a candidate has been disciplined by a professional body?
The ICO's draft guidance says it may be necessary and proportionate where relevant to the role, giving solicitors and accountants as examples. Assess any exclusion case by case. For convictions, the ICO says to use the statutory schemes: DBS, AccessNI or Disclosure Scotland.
What if an employee's registration lapses?
In a CQC-registered service in England, registration is required by regulation 19(4) and CQC expects a process to check it stays current; if a person no longer meets the regulation 19(1) criteria the provider must take necessary and proportionate action and, for a registered health or social care professional, inform their regulator. Elsewhere, our view is that your contract should make continuing registration a condition where the job depends on it.
Related checks
- Qualification checks: verifying degrees and professional qualifications How UK employers can verify degrees and professional qualifications fairly, which official routes exist, and when a qualification check is required.
- CV verification: checking employment history and handling discrepancies How to verify a candidate's CV and employment history fairly: gaps, HMRC records, discrepancies, the Fraud Act and what to record.
- Criminal record checks for employers Which criminal record check a role can lawfully have in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and how to run it fairly.
- Employment references: what employers can ask and when When to ask for references, what to ask, the sector rules for care, schools, early years and FCA firms, and how to treat candidates fairly.
Sector guides
- Pre-employment checks in health and social care in England What CQC regulation 19 and Schedule 3 require, which DBS check each care role can have, professional registers and agency staff checks in England.
- Background checks in financial services Which checks SM&CR firms need for senior managers, certification staff and other roles: FIT, financial soundness and SYSC 22 regulatory references.
Also covered in our guides for Education and Recruitment agencies.